It Runs in the Family
by HarleyQuinn4242
Summary: There are three things Sakura Haruno never expected to learn in her life. 1: She had a family member. 2: Said family member left her millions of dollars and a giant mansion upon his passing. 3: Because of said family member, she now has to deal with a horde of ghosts trapped in said mansion. Apparently some things run in the family. SakuraxAkatsuki, AU
1. Sakura Haruno Kicks Butt

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

My mouth dropped open, the air rushing out of me in one sharp, silent breath.

"Sakura... I..." Tsunade's voice covered me like a warm blanket, comfort laced into the smooth sound, even as my mentor, my mother-figure, struggled for words.

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

The dark-haired man before us cleared his throat politely, drawing my slightly unfocused green gaze back to him.

"Miss Haruno, I understand how difficult this information must be to take in after years of believing that you were completely devoid of any relations, but there are some matters that need to be taken care of." I blinked once, his professional voice, holding just the right amount of sympathy to be appropriate, snapping me from my shock and allowing me to shoulder back my emotions for the moment.

"I think we should have this discussion another time. Sakura needs time to-" I cut Tsunade off, although I sent her a grateful glance.

"It's okay. Um, please, continue." The man nodded briskly, his face impassively, almost clinically, observing the way Tsunade wrapped her strong arm about my shoulders.

"Your grandfather has left you everything in his will, excluding only one of his paintings, which was left to one of the town boys. No one else has stepped up to claim anything and the burial has already been taken care of, so the process should be fairly easy at this point. You have been left a large sum of money, enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life." The man paused for a moment, his eyes flickering under his glasses down to the papers resting on my small coffee table. "There's only one catch."

I shifted slightly on my couch, leaning into Tsunade and biting my lip at his words.

"What's the catch?"

"Your grandfather has expressly stated in his will that you are only to receive his fortune if you move into his house. If you have not decided within a week of being notified, which has happened today, then all of his belongings will be donated to charity and the house torn down." I gaped once more at the ultimatum, my mind still whirling over the fact I even had a relative.

Tsunade, meeting my wide, pleading eyes, stood up from her seat next to me, folding her arms and staring down the lawyer seated on the opposite couch with firm golden eyes.

"Alright, that's enough. Sakura will need time to think over her options at this point." The man nodded, gathering up his papers and standing.

"Of course. I'll leave you to think." The man gave once last cold glance around my small apartment, his stoic face giving nothing away. "I'll be in touch for your decision."

He walked himself out, my ancient door creaking closed behind him.

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

"What just happened?" My voice lost it's blank quality as soon as the door shut, instead taking on a tone that was shaky with emotions that hadn't quite hit me yet.

"Oh Sakura... Let me get a drink before we talk about this." Tsunade strode over to my kitchen, swiftly opening a cabinet specifically stocked for her with varying brands of sake.

I automatically followed her, grabbing a dish for her and, after a brief moment of consideration, one for myself as well. I leaned heavily on the counter as Tsunade poured the alcohol, not even bothering to comment on the fact that I was underage, my mind finally managing to catch up and spew out the one question it could.

"I have a grandfather?"

Tsunade remained silent, downing her sake and watching me with careful gold eyes. So I continued, the thoughts that started as a trickle quickly turning into a river.

"How long did he-how long did he know? Did he know all twenty years? Has he known all along that I was here? Why didn't he contact me? And if he didn't contact me, then why did he bother leaving me anything?" I squashed down the ridiculous feeling of hurt, replacing it with anger that simmered and bubbled up under the surface. I could handle anger. "Why did the bastard wait until he was dead to let me know that I wasn't alone?"

Tsunade finally spoke up, having downed enough alcohol to have a light buzz going. Which, with the insane tolerance she had built up, was quite a bit of alcohol. I copied her, quickly downing my share.

"I don't know Sakura. All I know is that he's a fucking idiot for missing his chance to know you." Tsunade paused, tossing aside her dish and just grabbing the jug of sake. "And frankly I don't care about him. What I care about is you. So tell me, are you okay?"

I scowled at the ground, knowing that if I met her eyes she'd read me like a book, and I'd rather figure out how I was feeling before being stripped to my core. I slowly riffled my way through the feelings as Tsunade waited patiently, casually tossing aside the now empty sake jug and grabbing the next one. The immediate feeling was anger, my first line of defense. After tentatively working my way through that, I came across the hurt. It was a familiar ache though, akin to the feeling of an old scar being irritated. You see, I'd come to the terms with being an orphan. It sucked, thinking that you were completely alone in the world, but as I got older and gained precious people, like my best friend/rival Ino, or my mentor-turned-mother-figure Tsunade, that loneliness shrank until it was bearable, just an old scar. The only reason it was flaring up now was because, well, it stung. It stung knowing that this whole time I hadn't been _alone_, I'd just been _unwanted_ by my family member. Ouch. But after working through the hurt, I also realized that in some twisted way I was happy. Happy because, even if it was in some small way, this man proved to me that I was at least worth something to be mentioned in his will. Maybe even slightly excited to explore what could've been. All in all, I was confused mix of emotions that left me between wanting to snub the stranger that could've been family and the desire to go figure out who he was, to figure out who _I _was.

So I just gave the most honest answer I could at the moment.

"I don't know." I glared down at the scratched-up counter, absently digging even further into one of the marks with a neatly filed nail. "And I don't want to think about that right now. Right now I just want to figure out what to do about the house, and then take it from there."

Tsunade gave me an exasperated glance at my response, but nodded anyway, knowing I would deal with this on my own time.

"I think that you should go take a look at the place before you decide anything. I know you're at least curious about who this man was, and maybe you'll learn something about your family. And if you decide that you don't want to move in, then forget about his money. I'm going to turn you into a doctor before you hit thirty anyway." Tsunade smirked while I let loose a small laugh at that, before her expression turned serious once more. "No matter what your decision is, I'm here for you Sakura."

The burden that had been on my shoulders since I realized I was going to have to deal with this felt ever so slightly lighter at her words, and I suddenly felt immensely grateful that Tsunade had come to help me with this.

"Thanks Tsunade... You're right. I'll go look at the house tomorrow."

"I know I'm right brat, that's just the way things are. Now get some sleep! Have you been staying up late studying again?" Tsunade scowled, reverting back into her usual self while I laughed nervously.

"Of course not! I'll go get ready right now!" I quickly darted from the kitchen and into the small bathroom of my apartment as Tsunade made her way to the door, taking a third sake jug with her.

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

As soon as the door closed on her slurred goodbye, I paused in the middle of brushing my teeth, instead simply staring at myself in the mirror. A pale, pink-haired girl stared back at me with jade eyes. All simple features, facts, but I'd always wondered where they came from, _who_ they came from. I looked away from my reflection, spitting into the sink. Now that I was being given a chance to find out, I was filled with nervous excitement, my stomach twisting into knots.

I had a feeling that, despite Tsunade's orders, I wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

-.-.-.-.-.-

I flinched as I ran over a particularly large pothole. My car gave an ominous groan that echoed over the sound of dirt and gravel crunching beneath its wheels.

**Our car is so fucked.**

I winced even more at my inner's words, knowing them to be the truth. My car was, as Inner would put it, a piece of shit.

_Looks like it'll be back to the bus..._

**Not if you get the geezer's fortune, then it'd be back to the Lamborghini.**

I sighed at the thought of owning one of the gorgeous machines, which, according to the large amount of zeros I'd recently seen, would be well within my means if I inherited his fortune. The money was almost enough for me to start packing my bags, but I couldn't find it in myself quite yet. It almost felt like if I took the money, then it was okay for him to have neglected me for my whole life. I at least wanted a reason before I took that step, and I was hoping to find it today.

**Screw wanting a reason, I want a Lamborghini!**

I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore her for the moment. Instead I squinted, attempting to peer through the thick walls of trees for a sign of the house and praying to Kami that I'd reach it before my car failed. After a short, fifteen drive from the small town where I resided, I'd come to the big city of Konoha. The huge, bustling city had immediately won the house points; I immediately loved the warm, lively atmosphere that cloaked the city. It was gorgeous really, lots of trees and plenty of smiling people roaming the streets. However, any points the city won were lost as soon as I began the twenty minute, so far, drive on a long, winding road that led deeper into the surrounding forest. After the first five minutes the road began to deteriorate, turning into the mess of gravel that I now drove on. If I had to make this drive every day to get to the city, I'd have to start driving something far sturdier than a Lamborghini. Unable to spot anything through the dense foliage, I gave up and diverted my attention to navigating the treacherous road. I rounded another sharp curve, the plant life suddenly clearing up before me to reveal my destination, which, while it had been right around the corner, had been hidden by the impossibly thick forest.

_Oh._

**Holy shit.**

My lips parted ever so slightly and my grassy eyes widened at the house-no, the mansion before me as I pulled to a stop in front of it. The thing was huge, looming like a dark presence over the surrounding forest. And I do mean a dark presence, the whole thing was a dark, shadowy shade that didn't quite reach black and looked to be extremely old, the boards of the front porch falling apart and the windows cloudy and cracked. I swallowed thickly as I watched a giant cobweb on the side of the stairs leading to the porch quiver, wondering what kind of spider made a web that big.

I hate spiders.

**Oh hell no. Forget the Lamborghini, let's leave while we still have our lives!**

_Don't overreact; we should at least check it out._

**Hell. No. I've seen enough horror movies to know what happens to girls who enter the scary house in the woods! They either end up dead, raped and dead, or scarred for life! I'm too awesome to die now!**

I winced at her words and the accompanying horror move flashes, but slowly opened the door of my car anyways, tentatively stepping out. As soon as I did I realized how chilly it was, my bare arms breaking out in goosebumps, the rest of me thankfully covered by a tank top-jeans combo. A cool breeze blew by, causing my shoulder length hair to whip about and making me reflexively wrap my arms around myself while shuddering. I really should've brought my trusty hoody, but the weather had been so warm in Konoha that I left it.

**Sakura! There is the fucking horror-movie atmosphere going on right now! When that shit happens, you leave! Don't be the stupid chick from the movies! The only way this could get worse is if there were storm clouds...**

_Shut up! I'm just going to see what the house is like and if there's anything about my... The owner of the house in here._

**When you end up hanging in a meat locker, I'm saying I told you so.**

I began to walk up the creaking stairs, darting at the halfway point when the spider-web began to wiggle. Fucking eight-eyed, eight-legged, furry monsters. If there was one thing that terrified me above all else, it'd be spiders. I stopped in front of the large door, once painted what looked to be a rich mahogany brown, but now was tainted by the years and held only peeling paint that had been warped into a dark, reddish-brown shade that resembled some sort of mud. I quickly dug my hand into the pocket of my jeans, digging out a key provided to me by the apathetic lawyer from last night, resisting the urge to glance over my shoulder as I did so. I quickly jammed the key into the lock, taking a slight step back as the doors creaked open before me. I allowed them to do so, glancing about for anything suspicious, although I felt more than a little paranoid in the process, before stepping slowly past the threshold.

I was pleasantly surprised at the wave of warmth that washed over me the moment I stepped in. The goosebumps died down, and I shut the door behind me to keep out any persistent chill. I glanced around the large room I'd entered with brows raised, letting loose a low whistle. It was, in complete contrast to the outside, warm and inviting. As soon as I flickered on the large chandelier, it became downright homey. Sure, the carpet was a shade of red that was disturbingly like blood, but it was thick, plush, and warm. Sure, a majority of the furniture was gothic style in deep black, but to the touch it was all soft and comfy. Sure, the fireplace was looming over the rest of the room, but I could already tell it'd be perfect to curl up in front of during winter. All in all it looked very comfortable and luxurious, if not slightly like a modern Dracula lair. I slowly passed through the large living area, pausing only to open the curtains and brighten up the room even further.

**I don't trust it.**

Ignoring Inner, I moved into the nearest hallway, my earlier fears shedding off at the far less intimidating interior of the house, despite my other self's concerns. I immediately stopped in front of the large painting on the wall, my heart stuttering at the picture. There were two people. The first was by far the more imposing of the two, a tall man with bright red hair and a stern set to his mouth. But despite the initial austere air to him, there was a mischievous glint to his green eyes, eyes that mimicked mine completely. I assumed that this man was the my grandfather. However, it wasn't the man in the picture that captivated me so completely, because standing with his hand on her shoulder was a young woman, probably only a few years older than me, who could've been my twin. We both had the same rosy hair, the same fair complexion, the same jade eyes, and the same toothy grin.

**Is that...**

_Our mom?_

I stared at the woman, the woman who I'd imagined meeting my whole life. The one who I'd known as dead in a car accident from my first memories in the orphanage. She stared back at me with blank eyes, her smile radiant even a painting. I felt some unknown feeling clenching in my heart at the sight of her, a longing. Of course I had Tsunade, who did as much for me as anyone could ever hope for from a mother, but I had to wonder. What could've been? I slowly reached out to brush my fingers against her painted face, wondering who the woman could've been to me.

_She's beautiful..._

"Oi, is this the bitch?! At least she's hot, seriously." A masculine, booming voice came from behind me, freezing me for mere moments before all hell broke loose.

I whirled around, coming face to face with a shirtless, albino man, who was smirking at me with pinkish-red eyes glinting. I paled considerably at the sight of a large, three-bladed scythe resting casually over his shoulder.

**I TOLD YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I TOLD YOU! I'M NOT DYING TODAY!**

Then I was shoved roughly into the back of my mind, watching horrified as my foot whipped out in a perfect roundhouse kick, slamming the man into the opposite wall so hard that cracks spread from his form.

**"SHANNARO!"**

I quickly regained control over myself, gasping when the man simply cackled from his position on the ground, even as blood dribbled down from his white hair and over his forehead.

"Hit me like that again! Seriously!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his statement, so instead I opted for the next best option of turning tail and running. But as soon as I turned to make my getaway, I ran head on into a very firm, very warm surface. I blinked once, the man cackling on in the background, slowly trailing my eyes up a black-cloaked chest until I reached a tan face bearing one blue eye, the other covered by blond hair. It was at that moment I chose to voice the thought running on both my and my inner's minds.

"Well shit."

* * *

**A/N: Oh how I love Inner Sakura. I really, really do. Anyways, yes I made another story. I couldn't help myself! When the plot bunnies strike, they hit hard! Anyways, this story will most likely be updated every other week, if not sooner. This chapter was honestly more like a prologue than anything else to see if people like this idea, so expect better in the future. Hope you enjoyed! Please review! Bye lovelies!**

**Word Count: 3,226**


	2. Sakura Haruno Meets Some Ghosts

**Warnings: Both Hidan and Inner Sakura's language.**

* * *

**This is all your fault. I told you to leave. I told you this place was fucking creepy. And now look at who the hell was right!**

I let out a tightly controlled breath through my nose, attempting to ignore my inner and instead focus on slowly shifting towards the window while pausing at the slightest sound released from my pursuer. Not exactly my best escape option seeing as I was on the third floor of a mansion, but I work with what I have.

"Hey, there's no need for that, un! We just want to talk!" The blonde one smirked at me, his single blue eye dancing, the other covered by a golden bang, even as he tried to coax me away from the dusty windowsill. I merely glared back, my green eyes blazing at that remark.

"You threw a bomb at me! Last time I checked, you can't talk to people spattered across the walls!" My voice was wavering between anger and panic, a sharp, high-pitched combination.

After bumping into Blondie's chest I'd once again attempted to hightail it away from both him and the man cackling on the ground, only this time running down a hallway that I prayed led to the backdoor. Of course that would be too easy. Instead I was taken straight to a flight of stairs, having nowhere to go but up with the blonde in hot pursuit and the masochist slowly pulling himself up from his position on the ground. Especially since I couldn't determine whether the groan the albino let loose as he rose was from pain or pleasure.

My belief that running was a good option was only further cemented when Blondie, who I now believed to be as crazy, if not crazier, than Albino, reached underneath his black cloak and pulled out a motherfucking _bomb _to throw at me. Who the hell carries around bombs in their pockets?!

**Um, psychopathic killers.**

And then, of course, after the second floor's main hallway was reduced to rubble, another, redheaded stranger appeared from a side hallway, joining the blonde in his pursuit. Because apparently the universe hates me. At least this one didn't throw bombs or laugh at his own blood, although the dead look to his brown eyes was frightening in itself.

The blond man raised a hand to the back of his head in response, giving a slightly chagrined laugh at my accusation. One of my pink brows twitched at the casual action, as though throwing bombs in people's houses was a normal occurrence.

The redhead slowly stepped forward while the blonde chuckled, his face blank. He paused when my shoulders hunched defensively and my hand twitched towards the window in response, glaring at his partner sharply at the action. The movement of his glare seemed almost unnatural on a face that just, ironically, screamed stoic.

"Deidara, you're an idiot." The blonde, Deidara, turned on his partner quickly, his temper easily flaring to life.

"It wasn't my fault Sasori, yeah! Hidan's the one who scared her in the first place!" While Sasori smacked Deidara upside the head (with a nice thunk) and spurred the dispute into a full-fledged argument, I slowly continued creeping towards the window, cursing every creaky board.

I glanced out the cracked frame, mentally calculating the chances of the roof over the porch holding my weight in its decrepit state. They were not good.

_Do you think I could beat them to the car with a broken leg?_

**No. But I think it's a better option than waiting here for them to start arguing over who gets to keep the liver.**

I still lingered with my hand over the latch, not really wanting launch myself from the third story despite the rather limited options.

"Did you shitheads catch the bitch yet? Everyone's waiting in the dining room for your slow asses, seriously." I paled at the obnoxious drawl, turning just in time to watch the albino, now dubbed Hidan, swagger into the room.

_There's more of them?!_

**Jump out the fucking window!**

My decision very quickly made by the presence of the shirtless Hidan, I swiftly unlatched the window, shoving desperately upwards while preparing to hoist myself over the edge.

_Thunk!_

**Oh hell no.**

I continued to tug at the frame, my eyes filling with horror as the stupid thing remained lodged about two inches up. I tensed up, suddenly noticing very keenly how silent it had become behind me.

"Stupid bitch."

I turned around nervously, my shoulders sagging in defeat as I took in the sheer amount of muscle packed on Hidan's bare musculature. There was no way I could take him out without the element of surprise to help me, even if I unleashed Inner on him. Especially so with the grinning blonde and the slightly smirking Sasori backing him up.

Hidan let loose a smug smile while casually swinging his scythe over his shoulder, almost as though he could hear my dejected thoughts.

**Well. Now that we're fucked, I'll just say it. I hope they're the kind of killers that rape first.**

_Are you crazy?!_

**Have you **_**seen **_**Hidan's abs?! Masochist or no, he's hot! **

I quickly pushed away and gagged Inner, trying to avoid looking at said abs. It wasn't a very successful endeavor. Instead I laughed nervously, pressing myself so hard against the wall behind me that I could hear it creak ever so slightly.

"So, about that talk…" I darted forward in one last escape attempt as they moved forward towards me, Hidan simply grabbing my forearm and jerking me back to him, my back now pressed firmly against his chest. I hissed lowly through my teeth as the motion pulled painfully on my joints, my arm now in an extremely uncomfortable position.

_Ouch! Bitch!_

**Oh hell no! Sexy or not, I am not getting manhandled! **

My muscles began to tense as Inner Sakura rose to fight, despite my attempts to shove her back, before Hidan let loose a purr into my ear, a low, foreboding sound.

"Hell yeah. Let's fight, bitch." I shivered at the dark anticipation laced into the words, his breath ghosting over my neck.

It almost seemed as though he had _enjoyed _my kick earlier.

I quickly went to restrain Inner, my heart racing, but she was already falling back to lurk at the edge of my consciousness. I reeled as I took in both the shock and the _excitement_ she exuded at his words.

"Hurry up, Hidan; I don't like to be kept waiting." Sasori lethargically called back to us as he walked through the door.

I reluctantly followed, my arm still in Hidan's bruising grip.

_Why me?_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I drummed my fingers slowly against the mahogany tabletop, finding a bit of trouble in doing so with the way my hands were currently tied together. I could only rap the first two fingers against the table before I had to tilt my hand to get to the others, creating an odd rhythm. I continued my off-beat drumming for a few more seconds before slowly looking back up at the man across from me. I searched his pierced face for a moment, my vivid eyes locking onto his stormy gray, ringed orbs before I finally spoke up.

"So what you're telling me is that you all are _ghosts_ that have somehow been tied to this mansion for all eternity since, for some reason, you can't move on. That it's my job to watch over you and make sure you guys don't escape while, at the same time, attempting to help you all move on to whatever comes next, even though none of you have any idea how to do so. And, should I choose not to, then this house will get torn down, effectively erasing you all completely. And the reason all this pressure falls to me is because I'm a Haruno and it runs in the family. The family I just found out I had yesterday." Pein merely arched one bright orange eyebrow at my little speech, his face otherwise emotionless.

"Well, when you put it that way…" I glanced over at Kisame, noting how good a quality the blue paint he used on his skin must've had to look so realistic.

There was a moment of silence where I looked at the seven men across the lengthy dining room table from me and they looked back. I allowed my eyes to slide across the group, starting with my smirking captor on the far left, Hidan. Next to him was a man with luminescent green eyes whose sclera was pink tinted, obviously contacts, and who wore a mask covering the lower half of his face; he'd been introduced as Kakuzu. Directly next to him was Sasori, a bored look on his face. Then came Pein, the man I'd immediately categorized as the leader. I lingered slightly longer on his face, feeling deeply unnerved by the unreadable quality of his ringed eyes. Then I glanced at Deidara, who appeared to be messing with something in his hands. I paused there for a moment to send a small prayer to Kami that it wasn't another bomb, before moving on to Kisame, who was grinning at me with extremely sharp teeth. He must've filed them down himself. Lastly was Itachi, a man who, quite frankly, scared the pants off of me with his unnerving red contacts and his absolute, emotionless silence.

**If only **_**we**_** could scare the pants off of **_**him**_**…**

_You really need to censor yourself._

These were the men who had just calmly explained to me that they were dead. These clearly visible, healthy even, men expected me to believe that they were dead.

I took a deep breath, looking back down at the table before turning my face back up with a bright grin.

"You're all batshit insane." And then I proceeded to resume my off-beat drumming, my heart clenching nervously as I thought of my imminent doom at the hands of a group of psychos.

"Hey bitch, we aren't crazy!" Hidan spoke up, leaning dangerously across the table; his scythe, though barely brushing against the surface, sliced a large gash in the wood.

I glared back, the hopelessness of my situation making me brave, brave enough that I attempted to argue with my soon-to-be killer.

"Okay, if you're ghosts, then how did you touch me? Why aren't you see through? How'd you even leave a gash in the table?! No, you're just a group of psychos who like contacts and body paint!" I gestured wildly towards Kakuzu and Kisame at the end of my small rant with bound hands.

"We can touch things, un. We just can't intentionally cause harm to you." Deidara piped up, still mostly focused on whatever was in his hands. Upon a closer look, it appeared to be some sort of clay.

"Oh, right, because throwing _bombs _at people totally isn't causing harm!" Deidara glared at me, now completely focused on our conversation.

"Hey, I wasn't aiming to hit you, yeah!" I snorted, rolling my eyes at that comment.

"Oh, yeah, because that makes it so much-"

"Enough." Despite the fact that we'd been on the verge of shouting, Pein's quiet command was enough to hush all of us instantly. "I can assure you that we are perfectly serious about this matter."

I began to shake my head at his words, ready to start up again, before my perspective very suddenly, forcefully changed.

"**Have you idiots **convinced Ms. Haruno yet?"

I blinked. I blinked again. And then my mouth dropped open and I began to gape at the half black, half white man with a giant _venus flytrap_ surrounding him sticking up halfway _out of the floor_.

**What. The. Fuck?!**

_Oh my Kami. _

I looked back and forth between him and the men before me a few times before speaking again.

"So you're really…" A nod from a wickedly grinning Deidara. "And that means…" A once-again cackling Hidan managed to shoot me a thumbs up. "And I have to…" Sasori sent me a bored nod, his brown eyes watching me with a hint of amusement.

I took a few deep breaths before standing from the table, my bound-together feet precariously keeping balance.

"Well then. If you'll excuse me." I then proceeded to attempt to run away, falling to the ground and starting to crawl away like some sort of inchworm.

**Go bitch, go!**

_Once a man pops out of the floor, it's time to leave!_

I only made it a few feet before another face rose out of the floor in front of my own. Well, not exactly a face, rather a swirly, orange mask with a shock of black hair rose out of the floor.

"Why is the pretty girl leaving?! Tobi waited for her to get told the story just like Tobi's senpai said to, but now she's trying to leave Tobi!" I let loose a shriek as the man continued to pull himself out of the floor, rolling to the side to avoid him before I felt something wrap around my ankle.

I glanced backwards as thick black cord quickly enclosed my legs, tugging me back towards the table. My shriek escalated into a full-blown scream as I realized the cord was coming from beneath Kakuzu's cloak, writhing as though it had a life of its own.

"Someone shut the bitch up!" Hidan roared, covering his ears and clenching his eyes shut.

I began to scream louder, almost in defiance, before the cord that had been wrapping around my body covered my mouth, muffling my screaming.

"Thanks fucking miser." Kakuzu glared in response to Hidan's thanks.

"You owe me ten gold coins for that." Ignoring Hidan's squawks of protest (and his several curse words), Kakuzu sat me back upright in my chair, threads still covering my mouth even though my scream had subsided. "Will you shut up now?" As soon as I nodded, the threads retracted back into his sleeves.

I stared, panting, at the men-er, ghosts-before me, a mixture of horror and denial coursing through my veins. The feeling only intensified as the plant-man slowly melded back into the floor, seemingly arguing with himself.

"No way. No. I can't do this. I'm sorry, but I can't babysit a bunch of phantoms for the rest of my life." I began to shake my head, my pink tresses whipping about at the violent motion.

"It's your duty as a Haruno-" I cut Sasori off, my viridian eyes narrowing.

"I'm _not_ a Haruno. Well, I am, I guess, but I didn't even know that until _yesterday_." I paused to let that sink in for a moment. "You can't honestly expect me to take up the duties of a family line that's ignored me for twenty years, to spend my life doing their work!"

"Ms. Haruno." I stiffened at the dark, velvety voice, my gaze slowly moving over to meet Itachi's red eyes as he spoke for the first time. "I don't think you realize the full extent of our situation. If you choose not to remain with us, then we cease to exist."

I allowed the full gravity of those words to hit me, biting my lip as I reluctantly thought it over and tallied up the pros and cons. I had two options. One: I could remain with these... Ghosts in my Grandfather's house, trying to help them get to the afterlife. I had to admit that my scientific, med-student curiosity was itching to learn about how ghosts even existed, but I was also more than a little worried about my sanity and still in a bit of denial. Even if I did decide to stay, I had no idea how to even start attempting to help these people. I know nothing about my family history and my experience with the paranormal is limited to what I've seen in scary movies. Not to mention I'd have to balance that pursuit with work and school. How long does it take to make a group of ghosts move on? For all I knew, my grandfather had spent his whole life trying with no success. And that's all assuming I'm even ready to accept my duty. I've never been a part of the Haruno family until there was something I needed to do for them, so why should I accept that? But then the positives… I could stay. I could learn about my family, maybe figure out why I never knew about them. I could learn about my mother… And I could help these people. I don't know them, I don't owe them anything, but they were basically asking for my help. And option two: I could leave. I could go back to my normal life and forget all about this. But is there really normal after you meet a ghost? Would I ever be able to assume that creaking in the night was really just the wind? And what bothered me even more than that, would I really be able to forgive myself for losing the opportunity to learn about my family? It was almost pathetic that I was more worried about that than the whole talking to dead men situation, but I couldn't help it.

**Well, I, for one, think that we should offer our badass services and help these guys. **

_You were just telling me to run from them, like, ten minutes ago!_

**Yeah, but just **_**look **_**at them; they're hot! Plus, how can you say no to Tobi? He's adorable!**

"Is the pretty lady going to stay with us?! Tobi really hopes so!" I groaned as Tobi spoke up, wriggling in his seat next to me and across from Deidara.

_He is pretty cute…_

**I'm always right. That's just how our relationship works.**

My inner put it that way, but I had the wry feeling she was more intrigued by a certain albino than by Tobi.

I rubbed my temples, really not wanting to make a life-changing decision in the course of a day.

_Wait a second…_

"Okay. Assuming for a minute that this isn't a dream and I haven't gone crazy," everyone perked up as I finally spoke, my voice tired and weary, "my grandfather gave me a week to decide whether or not I wanted to move into this house before he tore it down. I could stay here until the end of the week to see how things go and make my decision then."

A couple of mutters escaped the group, clearly dissatisfied by my noncommittal answer, but Pein nodded his head in compliance without even a flicker of the annoyance the others had.

"And I have a few questions, rules, and requests before I agree to this." I could tell even Pein wasn't happy to be bending to my rules, but he nodded once more. "Well, um, I don't really know you all that well. I don't know what sort of rules should be set, so I'll just go with the basics and we can work it out from there. One: no destroying the house. This means no _bombs_." I looked meaningfully at Deidara when I said this, but he merely sent a not-so-innocent grin my way. "Two: no popping out of places or anything else to freak out and/or scare me. Three: no entering my room, when I pick one, without my permission. Fair enough?"

I watched as they all nodded, after displaying amusement at my second rule, my heart settling slightly as I took in their agreement.

"Okay, next are my requests. Well, I only have one." I flushed and looked away from them, not really knowing if my desire was rude or ridiculous. "Could you possibly, um, look less terrifying?"

I flushed brighter at the snickers at my question before Kisame spoke up.

"Sorry Pinkie, but we don't have a say in the matter." I arched a brow at that, and Kisame elaborated. "Our appearances all somehow relate to our deaths. Me, for example. Have you ever heard those amazing stories about people who survive and come back from shark attacks?" I swallowed heavily at his toothy smile, somehow knowing where this was going. "I wasn't one of those people."

I leaned back in my seat, my stomach turning as I took in his story and did a double take at his blue skin and gills. How awful it must've been to look in the mirror every day and see your death staring you back in the face. I cleared my throat once, the atmosphere somehow becoming heavier at the talk of Kisame's death, even though he kept up his large grin.

"O-okay then. Last up are my questions…" I paused, looking down at my still bound hands once more. "What do you know about my grandfather? Do you know anything about what he was like or how he attempted to help you all?"

_Do you know why he didn't contact me?_

For some reason my last question couldn't make it past my throat, settling there in the form of an uncomfortable weight.

There was a pregnant pause where I continued to look at the grain of the table, not catching the group's looks at each other.

"Most of us only arrived here for the last few years of his life, right after our deaths. He was very reclusive, so we don't have much information on him." Pein paused, and I chanced a look up to his entrancing eyes. "The oldest among us is Tobi. He'd have seen the most of him, but as you can imagine…"

I glanced over at the humming man beside me, my hopes crashing as he began to bounce in place in a sort of small dance. He didn't exactly seem the observant type.

"I've been here the longest out of the rest of us." I looked back up at Kakuzu, my eyes urging the masked man to continue. "Seven years, but I know next to nothing about him. If you really want answers, he had a study that he sealed off from us. There might be something in there." Kakuzu paused once more, seemingly thinking. "He was good with money."

Hidan snorted, glaring at the man.

"Fucking cheap bastard, seriously."

I nodded eagerly anyways, taking the lead with hope.

"Thank you." I filled those two words with more meaning than I'd intended, but Kakuzu merely grunted before melding out of his spot at the table and into the wall, done with our discussion. For some reason I got the impression he wasn't really a people person. Or a people ghost?

I sighed deeply through my nose, my head whirling as my life once again changed completely over the course of a day. How many times can that happen in a lifetime?

"Okay, I can't take any more today. I'll go home tonight, pack, and move in tomorrow." The men still in the room nodded, slowly standing or melding, before I spoke up again. "So, uh, can someone untie me?"

Tobi cocked his head to one side, his hair flopping slightly over his mask.

"Pretty lady isn't tied up though?" I glanced down at his words, my green eyes widening as I realized both my hands and feet were free.

"Wha-"

"An illusion. Itachi's specialty." My eyes remained wide at Kisame's explanation and accompanying wink, quickly turning to find the mysterious man, only to see his dark ponytail exiting the room.

"That's breaking rule number two!" I called after him, standing up and rubbing at the skin of my wrists as though to wipe off any remaining illusion while Kisame laughed.

I made my way to the front door, Kisame following to make one last smart remark.

"If it's that easy to freak you out, Pinkie, then you're going to have one hell of a time here." I shivered slightly at the promise in his words, but turned back to send him my own parting comment.

"Don't call me Pinkie. My name's Sakura, Fish-sticks." I allowed the front door to swing closed on his boisterous chuckles, shivering at the sudden chill of outside.

I quickly darted down the steps, still wary of the spider's web, before entering my car and cranking up the heat.

**I can't believe you're still scared of a spider after meeting nine ghosts.**

_I'm still in denial about the ghost thing._

**It's kind of hard to deny a man sticking up halfway through the floor, and that's disregarding the flytrap.**

_I'm trying not to think about that right now..._

Inner and I sighed in tandem as I pulled away from the mansion, which somehow seemed less foreboding than when I'd first arrived. Which seems silly, considering I now knew it was full of the paranormal that the outside had promised. Maybe it was just not knowing what could be inside that built up the fear so high.

_What are we going to do? _

I'd asked the question rhetorically, but I couldn't help but smile at Inner's response, my spirits lifting ever so slightly.

**Well, I don't know about you, but I plan to kick ass.**

* * *

**A/N: Ah, the second chapter is finally out! I felt so much pressure here after your reviews because I wanted to make sure it was up to your expectations! I really hope you enjoyed it! Also, a special thanks to my reviewers: **

**FallenAngelBloodyTears (I hope I didn't make you wait _too_ long haha) **

**berryboom (I'm glad you like it! I hope I lived up to expectations!)**

**candy candy (I'm the same way about logging in... And yes lolz Hidan!)**

**Guest (Thank you for the review!)**

**paradox (Thank you! You enthusiasm really helps me get excited about the story too! (: And yeah, Inner Sakura is pretty much a badass.)**

**Dropdeadbabe (thanks, I'm glad you thought she was realistic! I hope it was worth the wait)**

**rawr (yeahhh the idea just hit me and I couldn't drop it)**

**treavellergirl (haha why thank you! I'm trying)**

**MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan (wow! That's a lot of update haha so here it is for you! The beautiful words are ready to meet your eyes!)**

**leebee14 (haha I'm glad it was amusing for you!)**

**crystalthrone (I'm glad that you like it! I hope you like this chapter just as much!)**

**Whew! I'm so glad you all liked it! (: Please tell me if this chapter was as good as the first! Also thanks to all my favorites and follows! You guys are great! Anyways, I'm going to stop talking so I can post this now haha bye lovelies! Please review!**

**Disclaimer (for this and the first chapter)(because I always forget this): I don't own Naruto! But I wish...**

**Word Count: 4,190**


	3. Sakura Haruno Breaks the Wall

**A/N: Before I begin 1) Sorry for the lateness! Life has this funny way of being nice for awhile and then smacking you across the face with work, 2) I would like to address a point in berryboom's review!**

**berryboom- Okay firstly thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're liking it! Secondly, the Akatsuki _can_ touch things, but only if they choose to do so. Basically they can choose when and where they want to be tangible. However, they are confined to the house. No Sakura-stalking trips for them lol! I hope that this makes sense and clears up any confusion! The whole tangible/not tangible thing will be explained further in ch. 4! I have my reasoning (: **

**Okay, to the story!**

* * *

I slowly began to reach for my old, scruffy purple backpack, pressing my cell phone between my ear and shoulder as I pulled it across the seat to me. I quickly stuffed a few miscellaneous belongings laying about my car into the bag, not wanting have to come out in the cold to dig around for them later. As an afterthought, I grabbed the small mint tin resting in a cracked cup-holder, popping one into my mouth.

"Are you sure about this Sakura?" I sighed at Tsunade's question, aching for her comforting presence.

_No._

"Yeah. I need a break, time to figure out what's going on. I'll be back in the swing of things by next semester." At least I hoped so.

Tsunade echoed my sigh, and I could practically see her rubbing her temples and reaching for the nearest bottle of sake.

"Alright. Make sure to take care of yourself. Don't stress out over work, and call if you need anything. And I _mean it_ Sakura. If I stop by and see circles under your eyes..." She trailed off threateningly, but I couldn't help but smile at her concern.

"Alright, alright Shishou. I promise I'll take care of myself. And tell Shizune that I say hi."

"I will. Bye Sakura." My smile dropped as a small click signaled across the line, the mint dissolving away in my mouth.

I peeled myself from the warmth of my car, clicking my phone shut and sliding it into the front pocket of my bag. I peered up once more at the imposing mansion before me, unconsciously pulling my brown bomber jacket closer against the chill. A slight breeze ran through the small clearing in front of the house, the morose trees writhing underneath the gust. I couldn't help but shudder as I took in the far-too-appropriate storm clouds, feeling entirely too small facing the place before me. All of the sudden I broke the tense silence I'd been wrapped in and groaned out loud, stomping my feet a few times against the ground in a small fit. I whirled around and stormed to the back of the car, yanking open the trunk and pulling out my single suitcase.

_I don't want to do this. What if they're still there?_

**Maybe they won't be. Maybe all our problems magically disappeared overnight. Oh, and maybe it will start raining liquid gold!**

I huffed at Inner's sarcasm, grudgingly trudging my way up to the porch. My mood wasn't improved any when my suitcase drug noisily on the gravel leading to the house, and I ended up just carrying it to the porch when it got stuck in a pothole. This time I managed to walk up the stairs rather than run, although I still kept a close eye on the giant spider web. I paused in front of the large front doors, simply glaring at them while I tried to work up the nerve to go inside.

I wasn't scared per se, but nervous? Definitely. After finding out that the stuff straight out of horror movies actually existed, one tended to be a bit apprehensive when meddling with said stuff. Not to mention the fact that every single creak of my small apartment had kept me up last night wondering about what other paranormal things could exist and exactly how tasty a pink-haired college student might seem to them, leaving me rather grumpy and frazzled this morning. A large portion of myself was still hoping that the ghosts were all a crazy dream, that I could forget about them and regain my formerly firm beliefs that ghosts, while making for great movies, were complete nonsense.

Either way, staring at the door wasn't going to get me any closer to the answers I came for, paranormal or otherwise.

I cautiously pushed open one of the creaky doors, poking my head into the fairly bright front room, the curtains still open from my last trip here. I slowly slid my gaze across the entryway, my green eyes drifting over the fireplace, the couch, the carpet, but not over any specter. I allowed myself to step all the way inside, my brown boots sinking slightly into the plush carpet. I took another step, my eyes still darting back and forth for any signs of a presence. Seeing and hearing nothing, I allowed my tense muscles to relax. An odd mixture of both relief and, surprisingly, disappointment rose in my chest as I took in the absolutely empty room.

_See, maybe no one is here._

I jumped, my muscles locking, as the door slammed shut behind me, the wave of air ruffling my messy, small ponytail.

**Or maybe not.**

"Boo." The word was whispered directly into my ear, a wisp of chilled air accompanying it.

I whirled instinctively, my fist flying-

-and going straight through Deidara's face as though there was only air. It continued in its arc until it reached the wall, a large dent marring the surface where my fist rested.

I gasped and quickly yanked my hand back through his cheek, my wide eyes watching as the blonde smirked. I was torn between horror at the fact I just watched my hand pass through someone's face as though it was a hologram and rage at the fact he had purposely startled me. I ended up settling on rage, both because it was easier to be angry rather than scared and because of the snickers erupting from the blonde. I grabbed onto my wrist protectively as he burst out in laughter, my temper flaring hotly in my veins.

"Rule number two!" Deidara merely laughed harder, and I glared as I went around to look over the wall.

_Fuck._

**And you warned _them_ not to destroy the house.**

I released a long breath through clenched teeth as I observed the chunks of wall falling to the carpet, struggling to reign in my infamous temper. I whirled back around, deciding to deal with the blemish later and Blondie now. But by the time I turned back to face the room, he was already gone. Smart ghost...

I drew in a long breath through my nose and allowed my green eyes to slip shut, leaning next to the offensive hole while attempting to process what had just happened. Now that an outlet for my anger was gone, I was only left with the shock of the event. I rubbed my temples a few times, mimicking my mentor, before methodically crushing the event into the back of my mind and deciding to just ignore the warped reality. Because really, this was my new reality anyways. At least for now.

**Seriously, just put on your big girl panties and suck it up.**

Just as I allowed my eyes to reopen, Pein began to slowly emerge from the wall opposite me, walking from it as though it was the most natural action ever. I could feel my eyes widen at the sight, but I forced myself to get a grip.

_Calm down Sakura, this is all perfectly normal. Fist passing through someone's face? Just another Tuesday! Man walking out of the wall? Not even worth mentioning!_

**And you say _I'm _the crazy one.**

Pein slowly drifted to a stop before me, perhaps slightly too close for comfort. I glanced up into his ringed eyes, trying not to linger on his piercings. I wonder how those came to exist? Were they part of his death, or just a fashion statement?

"Ms. Haruno." Pein inclined his head slightly as a greeting, his voice inflectionless.

I tried subtly move back from him while at the same time remaining casual, a practiced smile settling on my face, the same one I used when dealing with an especially unpleasant customer at the restaurant I waitressed at.

"Please, it's just Sakura." I shifted uncomfortably at the thought of accepting the Haruno label and all of its complications, but Pein merely nodded with no questions, his enigmatic eyes swirling.

There was an awkward pause for a moment where I tried to avoid Pein's eyes and he merely looked at me emotionlessly, before I realized he probably had about as much idea on where to begin with this as I did. AKA, he had no idea.

"Um, I should probably go see that study Kakuzu mentioned. It might have some information on how I could, uh, help you guys." I shrugged helplessly at him. "I really have no idea what I'm doing."

Pein finally took a step back, gesturing for me to follow him with a small flick of his wrist. I glanced at my suitcase before making a snap decision to leave it by the door. That could wait until later.

I quickly scurried after Pein, glancing around the house as we entered one of the several hallways. When I wasn't running for my life it was far easier to take in the grandeur of the mansion. The ceilings were tall enough for someone four times my height to walk comfortably under them, and each section of hallway had an identical, gorgeous chandelier as the last. There were also several art pieces, some that were so old that they had to be originals from a Renaissance era artist and some that seemed to be freshly painted. There were several depicting battles, and a few different depictions of heaven, but no more family portraits beyond the original of my grandfather and my... Mother.

**Am I the only one finding the several paintings of Heaven sitting in a house full of ghosts ironic?**

I bit my lip as we passed one of an angel crying softly. She was looking down on humans suffering, her blue eyes filled with the images of those in pain.

_I can't find it in myself to appreciate Grandfather's decorating skills._

"Hey Pinkie!" I turned around instinctively, having heard the nickname enough times throughout my childhood to respond to it, and saw Kisame sticking halfway out of the wall. I managed to control my reaction this time, merely arching a fine pink brow at the sight.

"What do you want Fish-face?" Kisame gave a sharp-toothed grin at my remark, and for some reason I found myself automatically relaxing around the shark-like man. For some reason he put me at ease where Pein couldn't.

**Maybe because he actually has more emotion than a rock.**

_Pein has more emotion than a rock; he's at least robot level._

"Just thought I'd let you know that I whacked Deidara for you, although I'm not sure I can hit quite as hard as you do." I laughed at that, both at the fact he had the guts to say that when he was packed with muscle and at the impressed look he gave me.

"Let's just say that when you have my Shishou, you learn two things: how to throw a punch, and how to hold your alcohol." Kisame smirked at that, and I returned one before glancing at Pein waiting at the end of the hall. Although he still retained his apathetic appearance, I could _feel_ the impatience radiating off of him.

Kisame followed my gaze and caught sight of Pein. He let loose a sigh before slowly receding into the wall with one last remark.

"You'll have to prove that sometime." I snorted, wondering how exactly you share drinks with a ghost.

I glanced back to Pein, only to see him halfway down the hall. Huffing at his impatience-**he needs to learn some fucking manners**-I quickly scurried to catch up. I had just barely caught up to him as he rounded a corner, only to stumble _through_ him as he abruptly stopped on the other side. I shivered, feeling somewhat like I had just passed through a cold fog. I turned back to face him with an apologetic grin, although I wondered if I really needed to apologize for passing through him (could he even feel it?), and found that we had stopped in front of a deep mahogany door, probably the same shade that front door had been at one point in time. My eyes caught inquisitively on a carved mark in the door, the grooves dyed black with some sort of oily looking substance that appeared to still be wet. It resembled a 'S', only the curves had been sharpened to corners. The black oil seemed to shimmer under the light of the chandelier as though in motion, and I could feel _something_ radiating from the marking. I couldn't quite describe what it felt like. It was like when a word was resting on the tip of your tongue, when a memory was right at the edge of your mind. I looked back at Pein, my fingers resting just outside the rune while my insatiable curiosity flared.

"Is this why you guys can't get into the room?" Pein merely nodded, looking at me with such intensity that my curiosity evaporated and I felt the immediate need to _move_. "Alright then! I'll just go take a look around. I'll let you know if I find anything."

I quickly made a move to open the door and retreat inside, thinking to myself that I had to learn how to make one of those marks for my room, when Pein's suddenly-tangible hand slammed down over mine on the doorknob. I squeaked, his frigid grip far too tight to be friendly, and turned back to face him with wide eyes. My throat immediately went dry as I glanced up at his regal face, his stormy eyes piercing straight through me. I suddenly felt very much like a rabbit staring into the gray eyes of a wolf, all thoughts of him not being able to hurt me dying, and noticed very acutely the fact that he had over a foot on me.

Of course, Inner had some other opinions.

**Oh _hell no!_ This asshole is not allowed to touch us like that!**

Before I could manage to reign her in, my inner rose up, launching our left fist straight towards Pein's face.

_Slam!_

My mouth fell open as Pein slammed his other hand over my fist, pinning it firmly to the door with a reverberating bang. I winced slightly as my knuckles cracked under his firm grip. My gaze flew back from my popping hand to his face, searching for but not seeing absolutely any signs of strain there. Not to sound conceited, but I was strong, especially so with Inner in control. For him to show no strain... And it all happened so fast that I hadn't even seen him pluck my punch from the air...

_He's on a completely different level..._

Inner fell back, shock, and a small flicker of worry, radiating from her presence. My heart was racing by now, and I was torn between struggling for freedom and holding perfectly still in the unlikely hopes that he might forget about me. I settled for holding still, mostly because I couldn't really unfreeze myself long enough to move, and Pein slowly leaned in until his pierced nose was only an inch from mine.

"Listen well, _Ms. Haruno._" I shivered as cool air brushed by my face, his voice so cold that goose bumps rose on my arms. "Everyone in this house belongs to me, and I will do all in my power to be assured that we are in no danger. Our fate _will not_ depend on the whim of a college girl."

He released his grip on my hands, and I could feel them pulsing as blood slowly flowed back into them. Pein paused, as though waiting for a response, before turning and beginning to stalk off when I only stared at him with huge viridian eyes. I watched his retreat for a moment, and then surprised even myself when I called after him, my voice cracking slightly.

"Wait!" Pein paused, not turning to look back at me. I froze for a moment, not quite sure what made me stop him, before just going with it. "Um, I'm not going to let you all disappear. I can't promise that I'll be able to help you all, because I don't know anything yet, but no matter what I won't leave you guys to become... Well, nothing."

Pein just stood there for a moment, so I left, quietly opening the office door and letting it click shut behind me. I merely stared at the dark wood for a moment, my mind whirling after what had just occurred. Although the incident was no less than terrifying, for some reason as soon as it was over the fear just drained out of me. If anything, I felt more comfortable than when I had first arrived here, which made no sense considering my hands were still pulsing. For some reason I just felt like I suddenly knew where we stood, I guess. Or maybe it was the fact that, on some level, I had just sealed my fate. I had just made a conscious decision to help them-not to stay, but not to let them go.

**That... Was kind of hot!**

I choked a little on air, scoffing at my inner self as I was snapped from my reverie.

_Are you serious?!_

**No, just think about it! He's so strong... So protective... And those piercings! Admit it, he's sexy... **

_You know, sometimes I really get sick of you._

**Then bitch take some pills!**

I rolled my eyes, absently fixing my now completely ruined ponytail.

_I wonder why he's so... Defensive._

I could feel Inner shrug in the back of my mind, just as clueless as me. I bit my lip slightly in thought; what spurred that? Why did he feel the need to... Assert his dominance, for lack of a better term? I felt like every day spent in this place just left me with more questions than answers, and at this point I really needed the answers more. Inner and I both sighed, but I filed the incident away for later, choosing instead to focus on the office before me.

I turned to face it, and although I hadn't really known what to expect, I felt a pang of disappointment at what I saw. The room was bare of any decoration beyond the basics, and it was actually quite tiny. There was no mountain of scrolls, just a small bookcase about three feet tall. No charts detailing the layout of a ghost, just a small desk. No stack of handwritten papers, just one envelope...

Wait, envelope?

I slowly walked towards the unmarked envelope, quickly glancing at few of the papers at the desk as I went. They were all neatly typed and looked to be very lengthy, and probably very dry. Moving them into a neat stack for later research, I instead picked up the envelope, flipping it over to see if it was addressed to anyone. Finding no mark, and after checking over my shoulder to make sure I was alone (hey, discovering ghosts can make one a bit wary), I quickly ripped open the flap, taking out a handwritten page written in scrawled cursive.

I gasped at what I saw, my heart pulsing faster, both out of excitement and nervousness.

_Dearest Sakura,_

_What can an old man like me say to you after all these years? I guess it'd be best to start out with an apology. I'm sorry, for more than you can fathom. For allowing you to stay in that orphanage, for not contacting you, for not being family, and now for leaving you to deal with this mess. As your mother told me many times as she grew up, I am not good at being family. I tried, sometimes. I went to your school play once, when you were the teacup in Beauty and the Beast. I almost talked to you then, but I couldn't._

I dropped to the floor, my fingers shaking on the paper. He'd known, even back then... He was there.

_You have to understand what position I was in, child. I was already quite old by then, and in no position to raise another child, even if I had the option. I already botched up the first time enough. I am well aware that this does not excuse my actions, but it's the truth. There's so much else that I want to apologize for, but I believe that you must have many questions that deserve answers, such as ones about the phantoms you have been left with, and that must take precedence over the guilt of an old man. I suppose that I should start at the beginning. We Harunos are a very, very old family. We have several small groups spread across the world, although we are the last of us in North America and I lost contact with most others long ago. Each group has a station, this mansion being the last in North America, resting upon runes set up by our ancestors long ago that basically work as a snare to trap lost souls, making it our function to both help these souls and protect this hallowed ground. But we are so archaic, in fact, that no one knows exactly how we became charged with our duty. Some say we got lucky, or unlucky, and stumbled upon our task, others say Kami himself charged us with this. All we truly know is that it is our responsibility to help restless souls move on to the next life-it is both a family duty and an honor to do so. I know that it is quite unfair to task you with such an endeavor when you are so young and so confused, but understand that it is out of necessity. Someone must take this job, or those souls will waste away into nothing... In all honesty, you weren't even supposed to be in the line to take part in this. Your mother... My daughter left this family as soon as she became pregnant with you. As I said before, I was not a good family. She didn't want any part of our bloodline, claiming that she didn't want her daughter raised in a world where duty and honor were put before the good of the individuals. What she couldn't understand, and what I could not express, was that I loved her far more than I cared for honor. I just wanted her to be prepared for the world. Anyways, after she left I began training a young boy carefully selected from Konoha to take up the family burden. This, this is the main reason why, when your mother died, I couldn't take you. She didn't want this life for you, so she broke off her relations to the clan, and I had already selected the next heir. By family law, I could not consider you family, so I didn't. I regret that choice every day. But now that I'm sick, I have to call upon our family ties. I'm honestly not sure whether this is a blessing or a curse, for either of us._

_Sakura, you are, whether you choose to accept it or not, a Haruno. And since I haven't been able to complete my apprentice's training before I was struck with sickness, I have to go to the next Haruno in the line to bear the family burden. It is now your responsibility to take care of the remaining ghosts in this sanctuary, and afterwards you may tear down this house and move on with your life if you no longer wish to take part in the family business. It's all your choice now... However, if you ever desire help in your task, and aren't too bitter towards me to accept it, Sai is my apprentice's name. You can find him in the local art studio at almost any time. The books, they also hold a great deal of family information on specters and the paranormal arts._

_You don't... You could choose to leave now, and deny your heritage. I wouldn't blame you-I don't think that anyone would. But just keep in mind, the lost souls gathered here are just as innocent as you are, and the only way for you to leave is to abandon them. You may not like it, but right now you are the only person capable of helping them. Help is what they need, Sakura, and I think you're the perfect person to help them. You see, these are all souls who couldn't move on because of... Regrets. Mistakes they made in life that haunted them to the point that their conscience won't allow them to leave this world. Basically you have to help them resolve these regrets, and you have to help all of them before a single one can move on. As soon as the souls are anchored here, they become connected. Their problems are each other's now, and they desperately need them resolved... You know, I've been keeping an eye on you over the years despite myself, and if there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that there is no one stronger, smarter, and more compassionate than you. No one could've been a better choice for this job. I'm so proud of you Sakura, and I know that your mother would've been too._

I blinked back tears, trying to focus on the last words before me through blurry vision.

_I know that you can do this, if you so choose. Sakura... I may not be good family, but I want you to know that, even from a distance, I've always loved you. No matter what the laws say, you've always been my granddaughter. Please take care of yourself, there's many other people that consider you family also._

_With much love,_

_Kizashi Haruno_

_P.S. Watch out for Tobi. He's not all he seems._

I slowly allowed for the tears to overflow, the letter fluttering down to the carpet.

**Holy shit...**

_He... I..._

I couldn't form a coherent thought, simply staring at the crumpled paper on the floor. I couldn't settle on a single emotion after that. I was sad, so sad, for missing out on family. I was angry, infuriated at both my mother for denying me my heritage and at my grandfather for driving her away and then denying me the same thing. I was curious, wanting to know more about them, about any other groups of us across the world, and about what we did. We. A word I'd rarely had the luxury of using before now. It was amazing that despite all this, what I felt mostly was hollow, as though it hadn't quite hit me yet that I was suddenly part of a giant network of people when just two days ago I'd been hoping for an aunt at best. As though it hadn't quite hit me yet that I suddenly had a duty, an honor to uphold.

Perhaps the weirdest emotion was that of excitement. Excitement because, after all these years of yearning to be a part of something exactly like this-to be an essential piece of a family, I actually was.

**Okay, I know that normally I'm the jump first one out of the two of us, but I really think that we should think this over before making a hasty decision about what to do with the house and the whole, 'oh yeah, by the way you're next in line to be a ghost shrink for all eternity,' thing.**

_You're right, for once... I need time to process this._

**I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear the first part.**

I slowly stood, taking several shaky breaths as I wiped the tears of my face with pale hands. I carefully, almost reverently, refolded the letter, placing it gently into the front pocket of my backpack rather than back on the desk. Once again I found myself having a big decision with very little information. To stay or to leave... To accept or to reject... One thing was certain, I had to at least stay to help Pein and the others. A promise was a promise, and I did not break promises. Maybe the rest of it could just wait. Maybe I could decide on my future as a Haruno after I managed to make headway with helping the ghosts already here move on. And this Sai... I decided right then and there that I would have to find my grandfather's apprentice, both for the help that he could offer me and the information that he could give me about my family. Who knew, maybe he could even take care of the house for me. I had no idea how to complete his apprenticeship, but maybe he knew and could take on the responsibilities that, really, I had no idea how to handle.

_Grr-gurgle._

I looked down at my stomach with surprise; when had I gotten hungry?

**And this is why Tsunade thinks that you can't take care of yourself.**

Not sure whether I should be relieved or annoyed at the excuse to abandon my thoughts for later, I slowly meandered over to the door, deciding that food sounded really good right about now. Especially pancakes; Tsunade always made pancakes, about the only thing she could make, when I was upset. They had sort of evolved into my comfort food. I paused at the door and placed my always cold hands to my cheeks once, in a most likely futile effort to reduce the redness that came with crying. Damn my pale skin...

Doing one last under-eye wipe in an attempt to look presentable, I opened the door, wondering to myself how in the hell I was going to find the kitchen in this maze.

"Oi, Bitch! Fight me, seriously!"

I froze immediately, only one word popping out of my mouth when I heard the familiar, obnoxious voice.

"Fuck."

* * *

**A/N: Whew! There it is! Sorry, I don't really feel this chapter like the last two... There was a lot of information, not too much action or humor... But don't worry, the next chapter Sakura begins her first attempts at some ghostly therapy! Also if anyone has any questions about her family or what they do or anything, just let me know in reviews and I'll address them, okay? I'd also like to thank my reviewers:**

**THE Great Rainbow King (Aww I'm glad you like this story so much! Sorry for the delayed update though . I'll update faster this time!)**

**MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan (you know, I'm seriously in love with your update spam! Thanks for reviewing! (: )**

**Twisted Musalih (Aww, sorry the last chapter wasn't longer! This one is a bit longer, so I hope that makes you happy!)**

**Guest (Thanks for the review! I'm glad it's funny haha)**

**SakuraHimeYoi (I'm glad you like it! I hope this chapter was just as good! Also yes, I love Inner Sakura also. She's so sassy! She's like... The sassmaster!)**

**leebee14 (Noo! Not the bunny!)**

**crystalthrone (I'm glad you liked it! Sorry this chapter had less humor... But the next will be lighter! This, I swear!)**

**Dropdeadbabe (Aww thank you! The other's stories and how they died will come out as Sakura tries to help each of them move on, so it'll start pretty soon. Like, next chapter on. (: I hope this one was good too, even with less humor)**

**Guest (... 0.0)**

**A/N: Thanks all you guys! Also big thanks to all of the favorites and follows! Love you all! Anyways, until next time! Sooner this time, promise! Bye lovelies, please review!**

**Word Count: 4,974 (soooo close to 5,000)**


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